TheSamba.com :: View topic - Was JC Whitney always horrible? or Where to get stock tires?

Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:20 pm

This was second time dealing with JC Whitney, the first time was a nightmare but I made the mistake of giving them the benefit of the doubt and attempted to order tires from them as they were the only place I could find that had a set that wont cost me half the price of the car. I placed the order last week, my account was immediately billed and I happily awaited shipping confirmation. Well today, several days after the order was placed, I get an email saying, nevermind we don't have the tires, you'll get your money back in a week. A WEEK?! I have very limited finances and CLEARLY a set of tires is something important, if I did not have another car to drive I would totally screwed. I have called them several times and the closest thing to explanation I can get is that it is not company policy to issue immediate refunds, but apparently it IS company policy to make immediate charges for items they may or may not have. Well now I have a week to find tires elsewhere. Essentially I would like to locate a set of the Kumo radials that JC Whitney claimed to have as they were well reviewed and reasonably priced. I do not want cheap trash tires for obvious reasons but I also don't have the funds for cosmetic classic tires. Does anybody know of any places in central jersey or SE PA that would carry these, or online of course, the only sites i could find were offering in the $700+ range for a set. Sorry about the rant, I am just frustrated, I just got my beetle on the road, but I knew the tires wouldn't last, the rubber was dry rotted and i had a bubble in a sidewall after 2 weeks but none of my local tire suppliers have them and just finding simple replacement tires is turning into a major issue.

tl;dr jc whitney sucks, where else can i get tires that arent totally jacked up in price?

edit: also I wasn't sure where to put this thread, I chose this location as I am looking for stock parts, not custom wheels/tires

Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:23 pm

JCW has always been the vendor of last resort.

Read this: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=294720

Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:26 pm

Glenn wrote: JCW has always been the vendor of last resort.

My mistake then, I had been under the impression that they were once considered reputable and I figured that I just happened to be unlucky enough to start buying from them after a major drop in credibility.

Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:28 pm

Glenn wrote: JCW has always been the vendor of last resort.

In all cases except tires (in my humble opinion) The Khumo's they sell are actually really nice, and dirt cheap! They're 165/80R15's though. They neglect to mention that wee detail. and it's a shame they're out, I need some tread for my spare

Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:32 pm

Nepenthe88 wrote: Glenn wrote: JCW has always been the vendor of last resort.

In all cases except tires (in my humble opinion) The Khumo's they sell are actually really nice, and dirt cheap! They're 165/80R15's though. They neglect to mention that wee detail. and it's a shame they're out, I need some tread for my spare
They make nothing so sometimes you get name brand and sometimes you get crap. You don't know until it arrives.

Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:36 pm

The guy I had mount them bitched like mad cause they'd been sitting so long. The sidewalls had collapsed in a bit, and he had to use some pressurized air tank thingy to rapid-inflate them (sounded like a shotgun when he hit the trigger)... but once he had them mounted and spun, he told me they were a pretty good tire, and a DAMN good tire for the price :D

Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:45 pm

Been here?

The Vredesteins are really top quality tire, so you will pay more....

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Orde...mp;dsco=35

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Orde...mp;dsco=35

http://ssl.delti.com/cgi-bin/rshop.pl?details=Orde...mp;dsco=35

Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:16 pm

J.C.Witney sells the same stuff as everyone else, so that comes down to you git what you pay for, do your research!! where thy flat out suck is customer relations! and product knowledge!!

Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:20 pm

I am surprised that a local tire supplier can not fill your needs The local Big O tire shop obtqained what I wanted, been dealing with them on my other vehicles for years though.

Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:25 pm

have you tried;

http://www.kustom1warehouse.net/Stock_style_tires_for_VW_Volkswagen_p/streettires.htm

$68 each

Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:31 pm

I had the same thing happen to us. I purchased them online on Friday night, Monday afternoon we got the email. Won't be shopping for anything important from them. Ended up giving up on "affordable" tires online and got some local at Les Schwab. 430$ installed. Kelley is the manufactor, M&S 165/80/15. I think T rated. Peace of mind is better than waiting on various places online to get more in stock.

Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:42 pm

I haven't bought from either of them so can't comment on their service or reputations, but Discount Tire Direct says they have Nankang CX-668 for $68/ea and they offer free shipping.

Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

(I had mentioned tirebuyer.com has a good price on Nexen SB802 but when I stepped through the order process, I see you MUST ship them directly to an installer -- WHY?!)

Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:53 pm

gt1953 wrote: I am surprised that a local tire supplier can not fill your needs The local Big O tire shop obtqained what I wanted, been dealing with them on my other vehicles for years though.

Then you are fortunate. My local tire shop couldn't find what I needed. I ended up ordering online.

Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:58 pm

I tried Discount Tire and all they could get in the 165/80/15 was Goodyear and it would be a week wait and 465$ installed plus they were 75 miles away from house. They didn't offer me the ones I saw online.

Tue Aug 02, 2011 7:25 pm

Starr1969 wrote: I tried Discount Tire and all they could get in the 165/80/15 was Goodyear and it would be a week wait and 465$ installed plus they were 75 miles away from house. They didn't offer me the ones I saw online.

Good find but half the value of his and my car :lol: . I hunted car meets and club events. Got a new set of tires for 100 bucks because a guy changed his mind on the direction of his build. Still my happy hunting grounds :D

Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:08 pm

Tires-easy.com (same place as the "deltacom" address a few posts back) also has the Kumhos for about $60 plus shipping.

Ed

Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:25 pm

I just got a set from discount tire last week. Good price and not too bad of a tire. I too got screwed from JC on them.

Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:02 pm

You can call Roger a Sims Wholesale tires in Louisville ky. I know they have the 165r15 not sure of the brand but they where about 35 dollars the last time I checked. The federal goverment placed a tarriff on tires being made in China and It have drove up the price of tires considerably.

Wed Aug 03, 2011 7:46 am

I must have gotten lucky then, as my local GoodYear shop found me a set of Nexen tires. Don't remember the size off hand. I think I paid $80.00/tire for installation. They also found me a batttery to fit under the seat.

The owner said that it had been a couple of decades since he worked on a beetle (he was probably in his early 60's), and he said that the young guys in the shop would have a ball trying to figure out the auto stick. :D

Wed Aug 03, 2011 8:31 am

Nexen's are good tires. I have a set on my '75 and have been very pleased. $60/tire mounted. I have run a few different sets of Nexen's on various vehicles and they have performed better than Michelin's.